I love Chicken Mole, order it is a staple in my house. Growing up I always loved the smell of it, more about the cinnamon and chocolate, clinic the earthiness of it, I could eat it almost every day. We never made it from scratch as that was considered way too much work. Thankfully chefs have been able to shorten the normal 2-3 days it takes to make this chocolate, cinnamon goodness. Unfortunately I have not done this, but one day I will conquer this mammoth task. Until then I refer to my childhood version, or the closest I can come to it. Being on the East Coast has made life a little more challenging to make my Mexican comfort foods but I have and continue to seek out the ingredients I need and the foods I crave. Usually I end up making it myself, like west coast Chorizo. Here in NYC the Spanish version is popular. It’s good but its a hard, almost salami like sausage, as apposed to the crumbly spicy sausage I am used to. I grew using a can of dry Mole spices that you add to stock, here on the east coast it’s a jar of paste. I had seen it on the west coast when I lived there but always went for the dry can. I usually add a little more cinnamon and a small amount of sugar, just to get it the way I like it. I have also come to the conclusion that onions are key to helping get that sweetness that I remember. Now I’m not big on super sweet Mole but there should be a hint of that sweetness in there. Also a little heat is nice. I find when I order it at restaurants they skip that part and I am usually disappointed. So last night to continue with my comfort food week, I made Chicken Mole!!! I paired it with the beans I made on Sunday along with some flour tortillas and had a great flashback to my childhood and the comforts good food can bring.
- 1 Whole Chicken
- 3 Quarts of Water
- 1 Tablespoon of Salt
- ½ Tablespoon of Pepper
- 2 Medium Onions chopped- divided
- 1 Clove of Garlic chopped
- 1 Jar of Mole paste
- ¼ teaspoon of sugar
- ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
- Pinch of chile flakes(optional)
- In a large stock pot add chicken and water.
- Add one onion, garlic, salt and pepper
- Bring to boil and reduce heat to low/medium
- Simmer for about 20 minutes or till chicken is done
- Set chicken aside in colander in sink to cool
- Save broth
- When chicken is cooled off enough to handle, strip meat from bone, set aside
- Keep bones and skin for stock.
- Measure 4 cups of broth and save the rest
- Combine stock and mole paste in stock pot
- Simmer on low to medium heat till paste is dissolved(use whisk)
- Add sugar and cinnamon
- Add chicken and second onion
- Simmer for about 10 minutes or till onions are translucent
- consistency should be thick but not too thick.
- Serve immediately